COLUMBUS, Ohio – Stanford men’s soccer fell on the wrong side of a hard-fought battle against top-seeded Ohio State on Sunday evening, falling 4-2 in penalty kicks against the Buckeyes to end the 2024 campaign in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament.
Officially recorded as a 0-0 draw, Stanford ends the 2024 season with a 9-5-6 mark on the year. Ohio State jumps to 15-1-4 on the year with the win and advances to the Elite Eight against Wake Forest next weekend.
“I’m so proud of how we played tonight.” said Jeremy Gunn, the Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer. “I was truly impressed with how disciplined we were to play against versus tough competition. We played in conditions that we have not experienced and I thought we were rock solid. We would always love to create more tactical chances, but considering we’re on the road against a great team, I’m very pleased with the overall team performance based on the circumstances.”
It was a hard-fought contest for 110 minutes, with the margin between the two programs proving to be razor thin in the scoreless bout. The Buckeyes a narrow 13-12 shot advantage in the game, but it was Stanford who generated the more competitive scoring chances.
Zach Bohane put a pair of attacks on frame in the opening half in what were the only two shots on goal for either side heading into halftime. Liam Doyle and Alphonso Tenconi-Gradillas put shots of their own on target in the second half, but each were reeled in by the Buckeye netminder. Stanford held a clear advantage in corner kicks with five on the night, but the Ohio State defense held firm each time.
Cardinal goalkeeper Rowan Schnebly would off a few good Buckeye opportunities in the biggest moement of the opening overtime period, highlighted by a diving save to his right for his fifth stop of the night to keep the game deadlocked at zeroes. After the second overtime period came and went without any serious scoring looks, the two teams would head to penalty kicks with an Elite Eight appearance on the line.
Will Reilly was denied by a diving Buckeyes save to kick off penalties, while the Buckeyes buried their first chance to take an early advantage. Next up was Bohane, whose shot rattled off the left side post and managed to stay out. Ohio State would answer with another conversion on their turn for a commanding lead after two rounds.
Dylan Hooper and Alex Chow converted on their attempts to keep the Cardinal in the game, but Ohio State was perfect in their…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Stanford Cardinal – Official Athletics Website…